One of the most daunting prospects for university graduates is interviewing for that first job. The process is an intense one; consolidating your CV, writing cover letters, researching the company, preparing for questions and finally, attending the interview itself.
While some graduates are fortunate enough to nab a position straight away, the reality is that most will have to go through a degree of pain before being employed. It isn’t uncommon to attend multiple interviews at different organisations and be knocked back, so be prepared for your job hunt to last longer than a couple of days.
Get back on the horse
The best way to respond is to apply for another position. You’re obviously doing enough to get your foot in the door and secure an interview, so take heart and find some other roles that interest you. Don’t waste time getting down on yourself either – the quicker you send off an application, the sooner you’ll hear back.
Ask for feedback
If you don’t ask why you didn’t get the job, you’ll never know. Don’t be afraid to contact whoever interviewed you and get their feedback – you’ll find they are very forthcoming on most occasions. It may have been that the other candidate had a years’ experience in a similar field that you hadn’t, or that you were unable to showcase industry knowledge when answering a question.
Check your resume
If you have been getting to the interview stage, your resume and cover letter have obviously been up to scratch, but there is no harm in going over your CV again. Make sure your references are relevant, there are no typos and that you haven’t included any skills you don’t possess. There is nothing worse than being asked a question and not being able to answer it due to a lack of knowledge!
Practice
It’s important to remember that the more interviews you do, the more confident you will be. If you feel like you aren’t performing as well as you would like, get a friend or family member to help you act out interview scenarios — have them ask questions so you can attempt to answer as you would in an interview. This way, you will feel more confident and assured next time around.
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